Some have heard, but all must know... I creep ever closer to the elusive $60K $1500 car.
The problem:
After 10 years of pizza delivery duty (original owner is a good freind, I was one of first to ride in the car after it was originally purchased in April 1984 and I am the second owner) and another 10 years of even worse abuse at MY hands (power from various 16V plants ranging from 110 to 140-ish wheel, abuse ranging from high speed track days and even harsher mountain runs) the chassis (233K as of this writing) has become rather flexy.
The solution Part 1 - Upper Hoop:
Custom rear hoop built from 1.5" tubing, tied into the chassis in four lower points and bolted to the factory basket handle at the upper seatbelt anchor points.
Down bars are bent outwards to increase rear seat room - yes the rear seat will remain and will still flip up/down for trunk access.
This should reduct a lot of the chassis taco and quite a bit of the torsional flex, but we are not finished yet.
The next stage will be under the pan...stay tuned for part two!
Ask and you shall receive...
The plastic trim between the seat and the trim panels will be notched to fit around the down bars, no mods to the rear seat needed at all.
Marc and Scott of Marin Motorsports are doing the work...we've talked about this for the last 5 years or so, ever since I bought them their tubing bender.
They also built the blue E46 race car seen to the right of the Rabbit in some pics - it was being delivered to the owner today.
http://www.marinmotorsports.com/e46test.htm
i can't wait for stage two
thats gonna be THE BEST part...
